The Boeing Company

Craig Roedel

Daniel R Smith

Tanni Sisco

Edward John Batt

Randy Woolridge

Samuel Edward Antonucci

A method for assembling an aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip includes automatically positioning, with a controller an automated workstation in two degrees of freedom to position an articulated assembly fixture docking station in at least two predetermined joining positions, and effecting, with the controller, an ordered assembly of at least a forward bulkhead joint, a forward bulkhead to lipskin joint, a chord member to lipskin joint, an inner barrel to lipskin joint, an aft bulkhead to lipskin joint and an outer barrel to lipskin joint through an interface between an automated assembly tool and at least one of a plurality of assembly fixtures interchangeably mounted on the docking station, where each assembly fixture corresponds to an assembly step of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip and at least one of the assembly fixtures is common to more than one assembly step of the aircraft engine nacelle inlet lip.

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Fenton, MI, United States of America

Craig Roedel